Monday, Oct. 17th, is a date circled on the calendar for all members of the Saint Mary’s Knights. They will look to avenge their Sept. 27 road loss to the Mesquite Wildcats. 

This matchup features two of the top three teams in the 4A Desert Sky region. The Knights are ranked third with a 3-2 region record and the Wildcats are ranked second at 4-1. If the Knights win, they have the potential to take second place. 

In their first matchup, the Wildcats swept the Knights in straight sets (25-22, 22-25, 23-25). 

Coming into the matchup, fans have hope for the Knights.

“I believe this is a game that Saint Mary’s can win. Even though they lost in straight sets, each one was extremely close," Spectator Ashley Rubidoux said.

The Wildcats are coming off of a tough 0-3 road loss no top-ranked Arcadia. The Knights are entering the match after a tough down-to-the-wire home victory in five sets against Seton Catholic Prep. The Knights will look to carry their momentum from the victory against Seton Catholic into the matchup against the Wildcats. 

The game will likely be a strong back-and-forth matchup. Knights head coach September Lopez’s advice when losing a set is to, “Shake it off, (and) go to the next set. Volleyball is a best-out-of-five game.” 

For the Wildcats, junior Ryleigh Vollmer and senior Ava Castro are players to watch out for.

In their last matchup against the Knights, Vollmer had 10 kills and 19 digs. Castro added 32 digs. Junior Shelbie Lemm and senior Jessica Rayner have been consistent backbones for the Knights. Lemm had a match-high 19 kills in the last matchup between these two teams, six of which came in the third set. Jessica Rayner added 10 kills and 14 assists. 

One advantage the Knights have is the student section crowd that supports them. On the far side of the gymnasium across from the visitor's bench, the students are packed to the top of the bleachers. Their chants and noises have visibly affected opponents' performances at times. “Their student section is awesome. Their support definitely goes a long way for the team.” Ashley Rubidoux stated. 

With the status of Saint Mary’s starting setter still in the air, young sophomore Addie Cabanilla will likely be given the starting duties. Cabanilla has had a positive outlook. After the game against Seton Catholic, she said “We are doing a lot better and I am glad our team is picking it up.”

When asked about the overall goal for the team moving forward, Cabanilla said to “keep getting better.” 

Coach Lopez of the Knights admitted that her team's challenge has been “battling it out.” If the Knights stick together and fix key mistakes that were made in the first matchup, they have a high likelihood of coming out on top.

Overall, the match has key implications for both sides as the Wildcats hope to retain their number two ranking and the Knights look to take that spot. The Oct. 17th matchup is one to watch out for.